[Runes are a system that exists above skills. Within the system, there are twelve categories in total, known as "Bonds." Each Bond has its own effect, and in most cases, its strength gradually increases depending on how many of that Bond you possess.]
Twelve different Bonds spread out before his eyes, each name followed by its description.
[After purchasing Otherworldly Flowing Shadow, you have already unlocked the effects of the two Bonds, Territory Lord and Groundkeeper. Because runes cannot be removed once equipped, this also means that, aside from destroying them, you would be best off building Offside Trap's rune system around these two Bond types as your core.]
So the reason you recommended I buy this rune… was because of the Bond effects?
[Exactly.]
As the system spoke, the other ten Bonds vanished from before Terazumi Shinji's eyes, leaving only the two he had unlocked.
[Groundkeeper
(They are guardians of the course; guardians are not harmed by the course, but instead receive its favor.)
(2/3/4)
2: Each Groundkeeper rune, and each of its other Bond types, grants the horse girl a 5% track aptitude correction and 5 Power.
3: Each Groundkeeper rune, and each of its other Bond types, grants the horse girl a 5% track aptitude correction, 5 Power, and 5 Stamina.
4: Each Groundkeeper rune, and each of its other Bond types, grants the horse girl a 5% track aptitude correction, 5 Power, 5 Stamina, and 5 Guts.]**
So this kind of rune lets a horse girl run a dual-specialization build?
[More than that. The track aptitude correction also includes distinctions between fast, heavy, and worse going. Horse girls who normally struggle with heavy or even bottomless tracks will see a major improvement once they have Groundkeeper runes.]
Shinji nodded.
Judging from the Bond description, Groundkeeper offered very solid early gains, both in aptitude correction and raw attributes. For Offside Trap, it really was a strong choice—something that could help her catch up to the current level of G1 competition in a short time.
[But Groundkeeper isn't actually the most important part. For Offside Trap, Territory Lord is the rune she needs more right now.]
At the neighboring desk, Fukutani Fumie watched Terazumi Shinji staring blankly at the computer screen and assumed he had spaced out because of Sansho Drum's letter. She was just about to say something when his breathing abruptly deepened, and the words died in her throat.
[Territory Lord
(When everything returns to fundamentals, they will demonstrate what true "despair" looks like in the form of absolute domination.)
(2/3/5)
2: The horse girl's five core attributes gain a locked lower bound; in real terms, they can no longer decline.
3: On top of "2," any increase to the horse girl's five core attributes gained through any real-world method is boosted by an additional 30%.
5: On top of "3," the upper limit of the horse girl's five core attributes increases by 50%; during races, all effects that raise attributes gain an additional 5% numerical bonus.]**
Shinji immediately understood what the system had been aiming at.
For an injury like tendonitis—something that, once acquired, was highly prone to recurring—the effect of Territory Lord, which locked in a minimum stat floor, was without question the most effective Bond for minimizing or even completely eliminating tendonitis's impact.
[Recovering from tendonitis is a headache, yes. But the truly disgusting part is the chance of relapse. Territory Lord lets her keep improving even when the condition flares up.]
This time, Shinji did not mock the system's obvious pride.
The sheer power of the rune effects exceeded his expectations, and that made him start looking forward to the Autumn Tenno Sho.
He lowered his gaze to the time on his phone and only then realized he was nearly late for their appointment. Time always slipped by that way—feeling as though hardly any had passed, only for him to notice that quite a while was already gone.
"Fumie, I'm heading out."
"All right."
Fukutani Fumie looked as though she wanted to say something, but Shinji did not notice. He had already left while she was still hesitating, drawing a quiet sigh from the trainer.
She felt that Terazumi Shinji had changed a great deal, yet his outward normalcy in front of her left her unsure how to even begin raising the subject.
All she could do was hope that this junior trainer she thought so highly of would manage to pull himself through it by his own strength.
…
By the time Shinji stepped out of the academic building, traces of yesterday's heavy rain still lingered on the ground, though scattered horse girls were already running along the academy roads once more. The water they kicked up forced him to pick his way carefully forward.
It took him longer than expected to reach the academy gate.
Offside Trap was already there, leaning against the wall, and apparently had been waiting for some time. There was a faint melancholy in her eyes, and for an instant it brought Shinji back to when he had first met her.
This was what Offside Trap had originally been like.
Only later, through their repeated interactions, had she begun to show more liveliness and spirit in front of him. But the wound hidden deep in her heart was not something everyday companionship alone could erase.
"Been waiting long?"
As he slowly approached, the horse girl's ears twitched slightly, letting Shinji know she had already noticed him. So he spoke.
The horse girl, who had been staring absentmindedly outside the academy, turned her gaze back and slowly shook her head.
"Not that long."
"Then that means you have been waiting for a while."
As he said that, Terazumi Shinji was already walking out through the academy gate. Offside Trap quickly hurried after him.
The shopping mall was not far from the academy. By subway, it was about ten minutes away. Shinji looked up at the huge complex before him and nodded.
On the top floor of the mall was a custom clothing boutique partnered with Central Tracen Academy. Any horse girl qualified to compete in G1 races could have a personal race outfit tailored there.
"You've only ever commissioned one?"
"Yes."
"Then you should still be able to order another. You've been active for five years now—wearing the same race outfit all that time is a little monotonous. And if this is meant to be a new beginning, then you should start with a new race outfit too."
"Okay!"
Perhaps it was the thought of a new beginning, or perhaps the thought of a new race outfit, but a little more brightness appeared on Offside Trap's face. The heaviness buried in her heart lightened just a little—and in the form of negative emotion, the system harvested it.
That was precisely why Terazumi Shinji never cared when the system mocked him for choosing Negative Energy as his emotional energy type.
Emotion Energy was not gained solely through generation. It could also be gained through extraction.
In other words, if a horse girl's corresponding emotion was genuinely reduced, the system could still obtain its matching energy.
From that point of view, Terazumi Shinji was practically doing good deeds.
Together, he and Offside Trap arrived at the entrance of the boutique called Halo Outfitters. Inside, the only clerk was currently introducing the store's newest arrivals to several horse girls Shinji did not recognize.
This store was immensely popular at Central Tracen Academy. Every horse girl knew of the shop responsible for custom race outfits, so seeing other girls there was perfectly normal. Shinji withdrew his gaze and led Offside Trap straight toward the back of the store.
That was where the owner's office was located. All custom orders were handled there.
Goodbye Halo… Compared to her daughter, this one was the real genius.
[…]
Shinji's inner remark received no reply from the system. That silence, almost as though it had sunk into memory, sparked a flicker of interest in Shinji's eyes.
He knocked on the office door, and a faintly authoritative voice answered from within.
"Come in."
This was not the first time Shinji had entered this office. Back when he had wanted to commission a race outfit early for Sansho Drum, he had come here once before. Even so, he still could not help being struck by the room's walls and shelves, crammed everywhere with design sketches and books.
Anyone who could reach the top of their field had inevitably paid for it in effort, and Goodbye Halo was no exception. Even after retirement, she had become a notable figure in Japan's design world. That alone was enough to show how much sweat lay beneath her talent.
Still, while Shinji remembered Goodbye Halo, the famous designer clearly did not remember him. Her sharp gaze studied him with a hint of scrutiny, and only after quietly observing him for two seconds did she extend a hand and invite him to sit.
"If you want to commission a race outfit, you'll need proof that she's eligible to compete in G1 races."
Offside Trap had come prepared. As a horse girl who had once already competed on the G1 stage, her race record was proof enough.
[Negative Energy +10]
Shinji knew at once that those unimpressive results had probably embarrassed Offside Trap.
"That's sufficient."
Goodbye Halo was clearly a little surprised by Offside Trap's debut year. Horse girls from that generation who had been capable of reaching the G1 stage had, for the most part, already gone on to compete in the Dream Trophy League. Still, every horse girl had her own choices, and Goodbye Halo did not pry further.
"What kind of style do you want? Pick one yourself. Or if you already have your own ideas, you can say so directly."
A thick catalog was spread open before them. Offside Trap first glanced at Terazumi Shinji, and only after seeing that her trainer meant to let her choose for herself did she quietly begin looking through it.
During that time, Goodbye Halo and Shinji simply sat there in silence. Their eyes occasionally met, only to slip away again just as quickly.
"This one, I think."
Offside Trap chose with obvious seriousness. In her pursuit of beauty, she selected a race outfit design that resembled a formal dress.
That made Shinji narrow his eyes slightly.
His hand came down on the catalog just before Offside Trap could push it back.
"You've thought it through?"
"You don't like it?"
Tilting her head, Offside Trap looked puzzled and immediately made to choose again.
"No."
Shinji released the catalog.
His reaction seemed to trigger something in Goodbye Halo's memory, because she suddenly blurted out, "You're that trainer—the one who wanted to commission a race outfit ahead of time."
The rules at Tracen Academy were clearly written down, after all. Before Terazumi Shinji, Goodbye Halo had never encountered a trainer who wanted to design a race outfit before his horse girl had even qualified for G1 competition.
And back then, this had been the exact same style Shinji chose.
That was why she remembered so suddenly.
A trace of curiosity flashed through Offside Trap's eyes, but seeing that Shinji had already turned away, she could only suppress her urge to ask, telling herself she would question him later.
"So that horse girl back then was her?"
The timeline more or less matched. Goodbye Halo looked at Offside Trap, apparently assuming she was the same horse girl Shinji had brought up when he came here last time.
"No."
The word came out sharp and low. Then, realizing his tone had sounded harsher than intended, Shinji added more quietly, "This is the new horse girl I'm training."
Seeing that the man had no wish to elaborate, Goodbye Halo merely gave a small shrug and smoothly shifted the subject to the outfit's subsequent design work. One professional term after another, together with suggestions based on Offside Trap's own preferences, flowed from the designer in a practiced stream.
Terazumi Shinji quickly felt his head starting to ache from listening, so he simply pressed Offside Trap down into the chair opposite Goodbye Halo.
This was Offside Trap's race outfit. Naturally, the one who should decide how it was designed was Offside Trap herself.
Then he turned and walked out of the office.
There was something stifling about the room. He had not stayed in it long, yet it still left him feeling faintly oppressed in the chest.
Perfect timing to go buy a pair of rain boots.
It was the decision he had made during yesterday's storm.
And he had not forgotten it.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 31
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 27
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 26
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